Abe Withdraws From Ekaterinburg Grand Slam

18-year-old teenage world champion, Uta Abe, has withdrawn from this month’s Ekaterinburg Grand Slam in Russia due to a left shoulder injury. The current women’s 52-kilo world title holder suffered an injury during practice on February 19th.

In a checkup on Monday, Abe would be diagnosed with a bruised joint in her left shoulder, forcing Abe to sit to the side for the next three weeks

While the Grand Slam event in Ekaterinburg from March 15-17th acts as a qualifier for the 2019 world championships in Tokyo, Abe has already qualified for the tournament after winning at the Osaka Grand Slam in November.

Abe won her first world championship in 2018, taking the 52-KG world title in Baku, Azerbaijan, along with her older brother Hifumi, who won his second straight world title in the men’s 66-kg.